Away at weekend…

I’ll be away at the annual Wissett Wines Craft Fair this weekend, so if you want me, you know where to find me.

 

School of Saatchi…

New to BBC2, you could be forgiven for seeing this as a highbrow X Factor for art. But what a refreshing, and enlightening, change the series promises to be. First major point of interest?

Kate Bush

Head of Art: Barbican

“art is an expression of the intention of an artist. And the expression is what constitutes the art”

Well I guess that answers one of our perennial questions.

Another was answered almost by default…in that even keeping the above statement in mind, the artist is still not the arbiter.

Another interesting thing was just how incapable the applicants were of answering the question, “why is this art?”  All “artists” by virtue, presumably, of application in the first instance, art school education, practice, or, in one case, working as a successful commercial artist, one might imagine that this is not a new question, and perhaps one which might reasonably be expected to be asked at some point. And yet the inability to answer the question was almost unanimous. Almost. So why were they not prepared and able to answer with wall-smashing clarity?

Could it be that if one thinks of oneself as an artist, behaves as an artist, makes things like an artist, and feels that the work created constitutes art then it is? And that the inability to define its qualification is simply because prior to being asked to, they simply felt it was?

That’s the impression I was left with, anyway.

I don’t wish to re-open the shush-you-know-what debate again…but these are interesting questions, and undoubtably an interesting premise for a programme. Already I noted a couple of “works” which I’d be glad to own, or at least view close up.

Tracey Emin was the most interesting judge for me. I like Emin’s work very much, and have enjoyed it for a long time. I  was surprised a number of times by her brusqueness, and at others by her willingness to stand alone in a strident opinion. A throwaway comment she made about an applicant “not having the jargon” was especially telling when replayed over the voices of some applicants spouting what, to my ear at least, always sounds precisely like jargon. And that sits poorly with me, because I still believe that a reasonably intelligent individual could learn the jargon, talk-the-talk, create the back story, and within the program there seemed a point when a couple of the judges were actually wondering if this was happening with one particular applicant. Was there an intellectual coup being played out?

The program is especially fascinating for those following the shush-you-know-what debate, as it at least promises some answers to some of the underlying questions.  One thing already clear, is that if you claim a work is art, you will be called to defend the claim…at some point.

Missed the program? See on BBC iPLAYER until next Monday.

 

I shouldn’t have been doing this…

But last night we went along to our annual visit to Sotterly Mill and I bought some lovely burr oak. Kiln dried too, so ready to work. And today, when I should have been doing other things, I couldn’t resist turning a lump. This piece is 19″ in diameter at the widest point. The burr is lovely and I can imagine the cries when they see it coloured…but that’s fine…you do what you do with yours, and I’ll do what I do with mine…

 

 

 

 

 

unfinished underside

 

What do you do when it doesn’t go right…?

I’ve had a wall plaque on the go for a couple of weeks now, but I couldn’t get it right no matter what. I couldn’t even say what was wrong with it (although it was probably me that was wrong, and not the plaque), I just didn’t like it. The wood is burr maple, and is a lovely piece of wood. What I wanted was to include some of my usual features but show the burr well. Nothing was working and off onto the floor it went. Today I put it back.

I re-coloured it. No. Re-textured it. No. I used some new colouring techniques I’ve been playing with. No. By now it was looking like it had suffered at the hands of a madman with access to all sorts of finishes and materials. So I re-cut the whole thing and played safe. Cowardly I know, but there has to be a limit, and I was in danger of turning the entire block of burr away!

The result is this…

 

And a close up…

I have (almost) decided that it will be mounted on a base with a swivel post, but that means working the back now…and god knows what mess I’ll get into then! Is it really worth the trouble? When should you give up and burn a piece that isn’t working?

 

What do you do when you’re bored…?

When I have time to kill and I get bored, the usual thing to do is turn a quick bowl. It’s a quick hit and works well, and even if you don’t intend to keep it as stock it’s a productive process and often serves to crush the boredom…

Yesterday I turned a quick bowl and for some reason thought to make a video of it using my Nokia mobile phone camera. The film wasn’t too hot – as might be expected for a spur of the moment thing – but I thought it would be interesting to make another and see just how quickly a 6″ blank of green sycamore could be turned into a bowl.

So here’s the format: 6″ blank of sycamore, turned to a clean finish, no sanding whatsoever, tennon removed by reverse chucking…bowl left to dry and warp.

This isn’t the fastest so far, but the best video so far…

Please note that this is NOT an instructional video, and the short-cuts taken to produce a “quick” bowl should not be taken by the inexperienced turner…and probably not even otherwise. This is just for fun!

 

 

Bone idle thieving scum…

If there’s one thing (in fact there are many) that makes my blood boil it’s when a person has the tools of their trade stolen by feckless, witless, lazy, good-for-nothing-but-whipping scum…

It’s a long shot, but if you live in the area and are offered anything off the list, you know what to do…

http://www.cravenherald.co.uk/news/4733861.Craftsman_issues_plea_for_return_of_stolen_tools/

List here: http://flyingshavings.wordpress.com/

 

So many looking and not a comment…

A web surfer from ukworkshops, a forum I don’t use, read the previous post and placed in link there which resulted in over forty ukworkshop visits yesterday, and a few, oddly, through the night. Not one comment or opinion expressed here…although on the ukworkshop forum it was suggested that I should a guinea pig and continue using the Yew mug.

No repsonse yet from the toxicologist, either. I’m too busy today and this evening, but tomorrow I’ll send out a raft of emails to every toxicologist I can find an email address for. Round-robin research. That’s the way forward.

 

Is Yew wood toxic…

Is Yew wood toxic? This question has been around for a long, long time. Pliny is, I believe, the first to have recounted the story that people have died from consuming fluids (in this case, wine) from Yew wood vessels. Since then there have been stories, and some research, but nothing definitive (that I can find) on the issue of the wood itself.

The leaves, and seed, are toxic, and this much is documented in some depth. Sheep and cattle have died as a result of eating these. Humans also, or so it is reported, have become either very ill, or else sadly passed away due to the ingestion of the leaves and seeds…and not all of them knowingly! Why you wish to eat Yew leaves is an entirely different matter!

The toxin which causes the problem is TAXINE, and it is present in the wood, but research online reveals that whilst present in the wood, can be over varying levels depending on a number of factors such as region the tree grows in, soil composition, and the season the tree is felled. But nowhere that I can find has information directly related to using Yew for domestic ware.

Yew is used widely by turners, and heaven knows how many Yew vessels are used for fruit, or eating and drinking from. I know of a fair number, and up until today have been one such.

Some of you may remember the oak coffee mug I turned for the workshop…

Well I still use it, and love the thermal qualities of the wood, and the feel of it. I decided to turn a Yew version some months ago, and have used it ever since, with, I should add, no observable problems to my health or well being.

And then a woodturning club sent me a newsletter with a note about Yew…they had asked a University Professor if Yew was safe as a utility wood…the answer was “NO!” (paraphrased somewhat!). And then a greenwood worker posed the same question on the Bodgers forum and the opinions came in. The consensus seems to be that it is not, but these opinions seem to be based on anecdotal information and half understood science. So what are the answers to the many questions posed? Here are a few questions that might arise out of the debate:

Does Yew wood contain enough TAXINE to be a problem?

Does the toxin remain in the wood forever?

 Does it dissipate with time?

Is it soluble in fluids which the wood comes into contact with?

If so, can it be “washed out”?

Can we test for it with any degree of ease?

Does the toxin pass to dry foodstuffs on contact with the wood?

After searching for information I contacted the author of a book on toxicology, and currently am awaiting a reply. My thoughts are that even if I get a response it is likely to be non-committal, and err (naturally) on the side of “best not to just in case”.

And what of the dust from Yew wood? The dust itself is a known problem, although reports suggest that some are more prone to adverse reaction than others, but this is nothing new. But what of the taxine within the dust? Is this a separate problem. Can the toxins in the wood dust pass through the aveoli into the blood stream? Can the toxins “build up” over time to cause a problem many months or years later?

It’s an interesting and potentially dangerous series of questions this whole issue raises, and one I’m keen to work towards answering. So, if you’re a toxicologist reading this (which is a long shot I know!) and have any answers I’d be more than pleased to hear from you.

And as a final aside…

taking all this into account, and discounting the one known case of a very well known UK turner who has eaten from a Yew plate every day for decades, I thought it was perhaps sensible to stop using the Yew mug for now, and picked up the oak mug…but then it occurred tome that oak has another very well know chemical…tannin…so what of tannin? Is it toxic?

You bet!

There is more written about the toxicity of oak than of Yew from what I can glean. So where does that leave us?

Utility friendly sycamore and beech I think. Tested over many hundreds of years, and known to be safe for food and beverage use.

Good old native white woods.

Turn safely folks.

 

Entry hole for hollowing…

I had an email asking about entry holes for hollowing yesterday. I’ve replied, but thought I’d post an answer here for anybody else who wondered about it.

The vessel turned by my student had a 40mm entry hole. This seems a happy compromise size, allowing relative ease of access for tools, reducing stress for the student, and saving the nasty catches which lead to hollow fire wood.

There aren’t any “rules” as such for entry hole size. You should make the entry a size which suits you. If you are happy working in a restricted entry, then do so. If not, widen the entry hole. Simple really. No matter where you decide to start, you will get to the point where you fancy a challenge and decide to go smaller, but this is always limited by your particular hollowing tool.

The only real concerns are of safety and success. If you make it so small you are almost bound (by lack of experience, for instance) to have a catch and shatter the piece, then you risk a sharp thin piece of wood coming at you at a rate of nots. Not a good feeling! And if you make it so small that the effort and concentration  put you off ever trying hollowing again, then it is equally pointless. Hollowing can be fun and confidence building. It can also be tedious! All the shavings to remove…stop clear start, stop clear start…

And this is actually where most people fail…they cut and cut and cut and the shavings build up in the vessel, pressed tightly into the widest part of the vessel by centrifugal force…the tool hits this mass of compressed wood and BANG! So the message is to stop the lathe (always!) and clear the shavings on a tediously regular basis. In fact, if the tool is cutting well, this is perhaps after every third cut.

Here’s a picture of the example I had turned for my student with the entry hole diameter indicated by a rule…

happy hollowing…

 

Dick Strawbridge DVD now out…

Well it’s out at last…the new DVD presented by Dick Strawbridge which covers greenwoodworking in Suffolk. It’s a superb production, and one any wood lover will enjoy and learn from…if you are interested it’s for sale on my website here…

http://www.cobwebcrafts.co.uk/DVD.htm